Anne Moller-Racke’s Pinot Noirs represent the diversity of Sonoma County’s winegrowing regions.
A small winery with an impressive pedigree, Blue Farm Wines produces Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from vineyards throughout Sonoma County. These vineyards include Anne Katherina on the small Carneros District estate of winery owner Anne Moller-Racke.
Vineyard, Mountain Views
A longtime winegrower and until 2019 the president of The Donum Estate, a winery she founded in 2000, Moller-Racke is known for meticulous farming techniques. Private tastings of her wines take place about 3 miles south of Sonoma Plaza on a patio with views of 7 planted acres, primarily of Pinot Noir vines. To the east lie the Mayacamas Mountains, which separate the Sonoma and Napa valleys. A visit to Blue Farm usually begins with a vineyard tour that passes by a small pond and a rose garden with more than a hundred species.
Restraint, Vivacity
Not surprisingly, the other vineyards in the Blue Farm universe are farmed as precisely as is Anne Katherina. Tastings usually begin with a Chardonnay or, from late spring to late summer, a rosé of Pinot Noir made from Sonoma Coast grapes. Typical of Blue Farm’s entire lineup, it displays Old World restraint without undercutting the vivacity of its California fruit. A Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley’s Laceroni Vineyard has a pleasing mouthfeel but not at the expense of acidity and minerality.
Mission Revealed
Blue Farm’s several Pinot Noirs reveal Moller-Racke’s mission most fully. Her wines are based on rigorous farming of vineyards specifically chosen for their combination of terroir (soil, climate, and other conditions) and clones (variants of Pinot Noir). “Site determines quality, clone offers personality,” read one wine’s tasting notes. A particular vintage’s weather is another key element.
Estate Pinots
Fruit from the estate Anne Katherina Vineyard goes into three of the Pinots. One wine is named for the vineyard, another for the Farmhouse Block of grapes that grow close to Moller-Racke’s circa-1880 Folk Victorian residence and 19th-century pump house. The fruit for a third wine, Riverbed, comes from a vineyard section where alluvial soils predominate. The Sonoma Valley property of Moller-Racke’s business partner, Timothy Mott, supplies the grapes for a fourth Pinot, 1861. Before joining the world of wine, Mott cofounded the interactive entertainment software company Electronic Arts.
“Made in the Vineyard”
Tastings usually include at least one estate Pinot Noir and one or two from the other sources, Laceroni and King Ridge Vineyard (Fort Ross–Seaview appellation). Because the wines are “made in the vineyard,” with the approach in the cellar generally hands-off, they tend to express their sites well, and as a group represent the diversity of Sonoma County Pinot Noir.
Tip: Blue Farm tastings take place on weekdays only. It’s best to request an appointment at least 48 hours in advance.
Why go: vineyard and mountain views; Pinot Noirs “made in the vineyard.”
Itinerary
Blue Farm Wines appears in Sonoma Pinot Noir Day Trip.
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This story originally appeared online in 2017; it was fact-checked and updated in 2021. Lead photo by Sam Zide and Roland Bello for Blue Farm Wines.